Zi
although the autoharp is no match for the concert zither for beauty or complexity. The zither has a set of harp strings that occupies most of the body of the instrument. On the side nearest the player there is a fretted fingerboard with five strings. The melody is played on this guitar-like set of strings. Fingering the melody strings is accomplished by pressing the fingers of the left hand down onto the strings from above. The melody strings are plucked with a thumb pick on the right thumb. The numerous accompaniment strings are plucked with the fingers of the right hand. The first two fingers play harmony accompaniment, the third finger is used to play the bass accompaniment, the fourth finger plays contrabass accompaniment. Many variations of the zither have been devised over the years. From very simple versions with no melody strings, to versions with three to 7 melody strings. The number of accompaniment strings ranges from 10 to 37. Zither size also varies. There is one version that has more than 70 strings. Various standards have been developed for tuning the zither. Viennese tuning and Munich tuning are the common standards. However, there are more than 50 regional preferences for tunings. The charm of the zither derives, foremost, from the beautiful tone of the zither. The melody strings produce a clear high sound. The accompaniment strings add a warm and gentle harmony. The sound of the melody and accompaniment strings blend and reinforce each other to produce an exquisite and complex tone which gives the impression of two instruments played in a duet. Many original songs have been composed and arranged for the zither. Perhaps the most famous are the scores from the movies "The Third Man" and "Story of the Viennese Wood". There are countless more original tunes for the zither, ranging from folk songs, polkas, and country dances, thru the waltz, sonatas, concertos, and suites. |
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Copyright 2008 Kono Zither Music all right reserved. Kono Zither Music. Tokyo Japan. since 1962
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